Fire-extinguishing apparatus



Feb 28, 1928.

O. R. ERWIN FIRE EXTINGUISHING APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet. 1

Filed July 22. 1921 11v VENTOR Orlando Kim/in A TTORNEY .O. R.- ERWIN FIRE EXTINGUISHING APPARATUS Feb. 28, 1928.

' 53 Odd/MORE):

' A TTORNE Y nob Patented Feb; 28, 1928.

u-Nrreo srArEs PATENT OFFICE,

oRV Anno' n. nnwin, or ronns'r HILLS, NEW YORK, nssronon, BY imam: Assmm MEN'IS, TO AMERICAN'LA on new YORK.

FRANCE AND FOAMITE CORPORATION, A CORPORATION mnn-nxzrmsmsmno APPARATUS.

compactness, it is proposed to employ a tire extinguishing system, using foam as thefire extinguishing medium but in view of the inherent lightness of the foam and the high wind conditions likely to be encountered when the apparatus is called into play, it is necessary that the apparatus be protected y supplemental means, such as would not be required were the apparatus employed on to ground. p

in order that the invention may be readiunderstood, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, 1n WlllCll Fig. 1 1s a fragmentary plan view of an aeroplane, showing my n nre extinguishing system installed thereln.

2 is aview in cross section taken on the hne ll ll of Fig. 1. v

3'is a detail view of the'fire ext1nguishinp; system; I

W rigs. t and 5 are views of detalls.

6 and 7 are vlews of slightly modilied forms or parts of the apparatus. Referring to Fig. 1 of the drawings, it Wlll be seen that the aeroplane" to which my system is shown as applied, includes the usual tit) fuselage l0, wings 11, power plantl2, and propeller 13, the power plant shown comprising a 12-cylinder Liberty engine '14.

Eiurrounding the engine 14, I provide a casing 15 into which the fire extinguishing medium is to be injected in time of fire, the purpose of the casing15 being to prevent the foam from being dispersed and blown away from the engine as soon as it emerges from the distributing means. I

For the storage of the foam-making solutions, it provide a plurality of tanks or 00mm partments 16 and 17 the solutions being conducted in time of the through solution lines 18 and 119 connected to the compartments .16 and 17 respectively and through which receives a cap i e section as b 7 means 0 1921'. Serial No. 486,700.

additional lines '18 and 19 to a plurality of mixing chambers arranged in parallel across the solution lines. I

As shown, the mixing distributed about the engine compartment so that it may readily be flooded in the event of fire, the provision of'the casing 15 permitting the. generation of the foam to take place within a completely closed system.

- Referring to Fig. 3, it will be seen that the solution. compartments 16 and 17 are chambers 20 r are shown in the form of spherical tanks, and

tor the against freezing, each may be surrounded by a blanket of hair or felt insulation 21. Each of the tanks is provided with a filling opening defined by the threaded neck 22,

between these elements resulting from the insertion there-between ofa gasket 24'. Each of the solution tanks is also provided with intake means 2526 supported by the caps 23 to which means the solution lines 18 and it) are connected as by couplings 27 and 28.

To insure the operation of the apparatus in any position which the aeroplane may assume during flight, it provide each of the solution tanks with a universally movable inpurpose of insulating the. tanks 23, anefiicient closure take structure which, as shown in Fig. 5,

comprises head 34, mounted for rotation about the pipe section 35 connected to the solution line and a second head 36 mounted for rotation about the head 34 and about an axis normal to the a'ais'ot rotation of the latter. The head 34 is sup orted by the F the collar 37 packin 38- being provided between the collarand the head tor securing a leak-proof connection between the pipe section 35 and the head 34.. The head 34 is provided with thetubular stem 39, also carrying a collar 40, leak-proot packing. ll also being pro: vided in this head. Attached to the head 36 is the pi e section extending to the bot-' tom of t e tank and terminating in a belllltltl both hea s 34 and 36 if esired. With this construction the bell mouth inlets are universally movable with respect to the solution lines-to which they are respectively connected, these inlets gravitating to the bottoms of the respective tanks in any and all positions of the plane, the solutions in the tanks being by this means capable of drainage to'capaeity in the event of fire.

In time of fire the solutions in the tanks' aredriven under pressure through the solution lines and to the mixer 20 which is shown as having'the central mixing chamber 29 and .the solution ducts30 and 31, the latter be ing connected to the lines 18', 19' by conplings 32"and 33 respectively. To. provide the necessary pressure to force the solutions through the pipe lines I preferablyprovide a gas capsule or cartridge 46, which may takethe form of the gas cartridge shown in Patent No. 1,568,795, dated January 5, 1926,

' the'said cartridge 46 being shown in a cartridge casing 47 mounted on a base 48, the casing 47 providing a gas chamber; the sald chamber being adapted for communicating 47 is provided at one end with a connection to a plurality of pressure or gas lines 49 and 50, the gas lines 49 and 50 being, in turn, connected for communication with pipe sections 51 and 52 fitted to the closure caps '23, coupling elements 53 and 54 being provided for this purpose. The gas casing threaded neck 55 threadedly receiving a collar 56, a spring pressed plunger or firing pin 57 having a head 58 being arranged for sliding motion in the neck 55 and collar 56, the plunger 57 being provided with the 'disc 59 functioning as a seat for the compressionspring 60, the neck piece 55 serving as an op-' posed. seat for the said compression 60. Action of the spring 60 normally holds the plunger head 58 out of contact with the cartridge 46, the spring 60 permitting motion of the plunger 57 in a direction towards'the cartridge 46, as will appear further hereinafter when gas producing. activity is desired to be started. For the purpose of providing the -desire-d anti-gas leak connection between the neck 55 and collar 56, suitble packing between these elements such as 61 may be provided.

" For the purpose of preventing the solutions from reaching the open mixing chains bers 20 .and the gas chamber 47 during normal flight of the aeroplane, means is'provided in the solution lines 18 and 19 and the gas lines 49 and 150 for normally closing communication between the solution compartment-s and the mixing chamber and gas means preferably taking the formof a manually'operable uni-. tary valve structure.

1 and 3 of the drawings, this valve structure may comprise a valve casing 62 and a rotatable preferably conical shaped valve plug 63 rotatable in the casing, the valve plug being resiliently retained in'the casing, as by means end against the nut 65 attached to the valve plug 63. The casing 62 is provided with registering ducts, as shown clearly in Figure 4, for connecting the gas lines 49 and 50 with the pipe section 66 which, in turn, is connected as by means of a union 67 to gas casing 47 and foi connecting the solution lines 18 and 19 extending from the solution compartments to the sections 18' and 19' leading to the mixing chambers. The valve plug 63 is in turn provided'with spaced bores 68 constituting ports adapted in one position of the valve plug for registration with the solution lines 18 and 18 and 19 and 19 as shown in Figure 3 of the drawings, for closing communication between the solution lines .18 and 18 and 19 and 19 respectively. The valve plug 63 is further provided with bores 69 leading into an enlarged bore 70, shown It will be apparent that with the position of the valve handle and valve plug as shown in Figure 3 of the drawings, solution lines 18 and, 19 and gas lines 49 and 50 are closed, preventing movement of the component solutions through these'lines during normal use;

of the plane. It will be further apparent that rotation of the valve handle 71- to a position as shown in Figure 4 of the drawings will open the solution lines and the gas lines to the foam mixing chambers and-to the gas casing respectively. To set the cartridge 46 into gas producing" activity I provide a spring actuated plunger or hammer 72 slidably mounted in a bearing 73 attached to the base 48, the hammer 72 being provided at one end with a hammer disc 74 and being I provided at its other end with a hand piece '75. Seated between the disc 74 and a stationary flanged disc 76' and'surrounding the lrammer 7 2 is the compression spring 77 normally under compression and adapted-when the hammer7 2 is free for sliding motion for impelling the hammer disc or head 74 forwardly, as will appear presently. The hammer 72 is provided with a bore 78 adapted for the reception of a pin 79, the bore being in pin-receiving position when the plunger is in retracted position, as shown in Figure.

Referring to Figures 5 3 of the drawings. It will be apparent that with the provision of this structure when.the pin 79 is given an upward pull and is removed from the bore 78 that-the compressed spring 77 will impel the hammer 7 2 forward ly driving the firing pin 57 into the can looped for the reception of an integral hook portion 81 of the pin 79, the cable 80, being preferably trained over a pulley or sheave 82, the other end of the cable being looped as at 83 and being received by an apertured lug 84 preferably formed integral with the valve handle 71. By the provision of this means for removing the pin 79 it will be apparent that rotation of the valve handle 71 to, a position as shown in Figure 4 of the drawings will simultaneously set the cartridge 46 into gas producing activityand open the gas lines 49 and to the gas casing 47 and also open communication between the mixing chambers 20 and the solution tanks. By this means, therefore, a single motion ofa valve handle will start the gas producing activity, will open communication to the gas lines so that the gases generated will exert their operating pressure on the solutions in the tanks and will simultaneously open the-solution lines from the tanks to the mixing chambers.

For the purpose of extinguishing any local fires that may occur outside of the engine casing 15,1 may providerhose lines in the :t'orm of twin or duplex hose sections 85, comprising a U nected at one end to the solution lines 18 and plurality of hose lines con- 19, as shown in Figure 1 of the drawings, rind being provided at its other end with a mining nozzle 86. For the purpose of nor inally closing the twin hose lines 85 these lines may be provided with the valve elements 8'? and 88.

Forthe purpose of placing the system under ready manual control thevalve means 63 and the valve handle 71 may be located in the cockpit 89 of the aeroplane with the valve handle 71 adjacent the pilots seat 90.

The valves 87 and 88 in the twin hose lines 85 may be also conveniently located adjacent the pilot seat to be under ready manual control. i

For the purpose of simultaneously controlling foam production at a plurality of stations such as is desired for extinguishing tires in other regions of the'plane, as well as in the motor plant, Imay. employ the modified form of. valve mechanism shown in ll'igures 6" and 7 of the drawings. In this form of valve mechanism the valve plug 63' is provided w th means for simultaneously opening communication between the solution lines 18 and 19 and a plurality of sets of solution lines 18, 19 and 18 19 respectively, lines l8 'and lt) being intended for connection to the mixing chambers 20 ot the motor plant,-the lines 18 and 19 section such as 85, Figure 1.

being intended for connection to a twin hose desired intercommunication, the valve plug 63' is provided with a plurality of bores eachhaving an inverted T configuration, .the arms of the Ts being intended for alinement with lines 18" and 19', as shown in Figure 6 of the drawings, the legs of the Ts being in turn intended for alinement with lines 18 and 19 as shown in Figure 7 of the drawings; Figures 6 and 7 showing the valve in open position. To close the valve the valve handle 71' is rotated substantially 90 degrees towards the observer, as viewed in Figure 6, the operation being similar to the To effect the 18 and 19 may be supplied with manually operable valves 91 to St respectively. these valves being used to cut otfisolution flow to either the mixing chambersQO or. the twin. hose lines in the event'that only one of these delivery means is desired to be availed of.

The operation of my tire extinguishing system will be apparent from the above description but it is to be understood that the arrangement of parts described and illust'ratcd is merely exemplary of the invention and theretore subject to modification with out departing from the scope of the follow ing claims. I p

1. in an aeroplane fire extinguishing system, apparatus including tanks for stor ng CllO'l'HlCZllSO'ltilLlOilS, mixing devices forv m re ing the solutions to produce a ti re OXtiIigillSlb ing medium, means to separately conduct the solutions to the mixing devices, a source of latei'it pressure lior driving the solutions from the tanksto the mining devices, mechanical means to convert the latent pressure into active pressure, a connnon means for controlling the means for conductingsaid common means being'eilective to render active the saidmechanical means.

2. In a tire extinguishing system, solution compartmentstor normally storing chemical component solutions which, upon intermixt-urc, produce a fire extinguishingmedium, a mixing chamber, solutionlines connecting the compartments with the mixing chamber, valve means in said solution lines normally closing communication between the mixing rality of solution compartments, a mixing cl'iamber, solution lines connecting the compartments with the chamber, a gas pressure generator, gas lines connecting the generator with the compartments, normally closed unitary valve means in said solution and gas lines, provisions for setting the generator into gas producingactivity in time of fire and means for simultaneously controlling operation of said provisionsand the opening of said valve means.

'4. In a tire extinguishing system, fire extinguishing apparatus including solution compartments for normally storing component chemical solutions, mixingchambers, a hose station, solution line-s connectingthe solution compartments with the mixing chambers and the hose station, unitary valve means in said lines normally closing communication between the compartments and the hose station and mixing chambers, instrumentalities for setting the apparatus into activity in time of fire and unitary means for controllingoperation of said instrunientalities and the opening of said unitary valve means.

5. In a fireextinguishing system the combination with a source of pressure of a plurality of containers for con'iponent' foaminaking solutions each connected with the source of pressure, a mixing chamber for the solutions connected with each of said containers and a common means controlling the connections between the pressure source and,

each container and the connections between each container and the mixing chamber whereby intermixture' of the solutions Without the operation of said means is prevented.

Signed at New York in the county of New York and State of New York this 21st day N of July, A. D. 19 21.

' ORLANDO R. ERWIN. 

